This invention relates to interfacing on a computer network and more particularly to the display of visual representations of users on video displays of a computer network.
A computer network is a plurality of computer systems interconnected by communication channels. For example, a central computer system may interconnect numerous remote computer systems. Each remote computer system can communicate with the other systems through the central computer system. Often, the communication channels are telephone lines. Thus, a computer operator at one location can access a computer operator at another location by both operators accessing a central computer system over telephone lines.
Computer networks are used for a variety of purposes, for example, to send messages from one point to another. They can also allow numerous people to access a database or a document. Additionally, networks can be used to play video games.
This invention provides a method of interfacing between computer systems on a network. Interfacing means simply to communicate between computer systems on the network. This invention also provides a method of interacting between different computer systems on a network and it provides an invented computer network.
The invented method of interfacing is used on a network having a central computer system and a plurality of remote computer systems. Each remote computer system includes a video display. The method includes the steps of creating a first visual representation of a first user on the visual display of the first computer system and a second visual representation of a second user on the visual display of the second computer system. The second visual representation is then displayed on the visual display of the first computer system and the first visual representation is displayed on the video display of the second computer system.
The invented method of interfacing can be expressed differently as creating a first visual representation of a first user on a first remote computer system, accessing the central computer from the first remote computer system, selecting at least one other user who has accessed the central computer system through a second remote computer system, and inviting the other user to employ an application, where the step of inviting allows the other user to view the first visual representation on the video display of the second remote computer system.
The invented method, applied to video games, includes the steps of creating a first visual representation of a first player on a first remote computer system, identifying an interest and a skill level of the first player for at least one video game, indicating predetermined personal characteristics of the first player, saving the visual representation, interest, skill levels and personal characteristics of the first player, accessing the central computer system from the first remote computer system over telephone lines, selecting a second player who has accessed the central computer system from a second remote computer system and inviting the second player to play a selected video game. The step of inviting allows the second player to access the visual representation, interest, skill levels and personal characteristics of the first player.
The invented method of interacting is used on a network having a central computer system and a plurality of remote computer systems. Each remote computer system is operated by a user and has access to at least one predetermined application program. The method includes the steps of employing one of the predetermined application programs by at least two primary users. The step of employing results in an action of the predetermined application program. A different user is then allowed to watch the action of the predetermined application program as it is employed by the primary users.
The invented computer network includes a central computer system, a plurality of remote computer systems connected to the central computer system over telephone lines, means for creating visual representations of users on the visual displays of the remote computer systems, means for sending the visual representation of a user from one remote computer system to a predetermined number of other remote computer systems, and means for running an application program between users of different remote computer systems.